Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-08-13
INSURE YOUR LIVES.
DISCOURSE BY THE REV. 7. DE
swift =TALMAeE.

sWlTT TACMAGE.
Advice to Those Engaged IN tho Busi-
moss of Insurnnce-He Who Fails to
!: Provide for Ills Own Household ia
Worse Than mn Infldel.
THE. HAMPToNs, Aug 7.-The Rev. 7. De
Witt Talnages SERMON for today was on the
subject OF "Lifo aud Fire H.
tssurance: tho Christian Principles Involved"
Ellis text was: aLct him appoint officers over
1.-THE. land, and take up the fifth part OF tho
tslalnl of Egypt In the seven plentoous years"
Genesis XII, 81 -.
r. These were tle wprds Of Joseph, the presi-
Ildent Of tho first lifesiisurance company that
Ethe world ever saw Pharaoh had a dream that
fsdlstractetl; him He: thought he stood on the
saspanlss OF the River Nils, and saw coming up
ont of tho river seven fat, sleek, glossy cows
iEand they began. to browse in tho thick grass.
4 Nothing frightful about that But after
fSthoni, coming out Of the same river, be saw
tsseven cows that were gaunt and starved, and
4 the worst looking cows that had ever been
seen In tue land, and in the ferocity OF hunger
|. they devouled their seven fat predecessors.
Pharaoh, the king, sent for Joseph to de-
Iscipher these midnight hicroglyphics. Joseph
made short work Of it, and intimated the
seven fat COWS tnav came out of the river
arc sevon years with plenty to eat. tho
seven emaciated cows that followed
them arc seven years with moth
Ing to cat. "Now," said Joseph, "let
us take one-flfth Of tho corn crop OF the
seven prosperous years, and keep 1t ns pro-
vision for the seven years i'll which there
shall be no corn CROP The king took the
counsel und appointed Joseph, because OF his
integrity and public spiritedness, as the pres
ident of the undertaking. The farmers paid
onc.fifth of their income as premium. In
all the tewns and cities of the land there
were branch houses. This great Egyptian
| life insurance company Ind millions OF dol
lars Us assets After awhile the dark days
came and the whole nation would have
starved il it had not been for the provision
they bad made for the future. But now
these suffering families hud nothing to do
but 60 up and collect the amount OF their
life policies. The Bible puts it in one short
phrase: AIN all th lind OF Egypt there was
bread" say this was tho first life Insurance
Company. 1t was divinely organized. 1t
had in it all the advantages Of the "whole
life plan" of the "tontine PLAN" Of tae
preserved endowment plan;'-and all tho other
good plans. We are told that Rev. DIR. An
hate, of Lincolnshire, England, originated
the first life insurance companyin 1858. No.
it is as old rs the corn cribs Of Egypt; aud
God himself WINS che author and originator.
If that werc not so I would not take your
time and mhlo in Sabbath discussion OF this
subject. feel it is theme vital, religious.
and of infinite import, the morals of life and
fire insurance.
About ten or twelve years ago there was a
great panic in life insurance which did good.
Under the storm Che Enthusiastically and bo-
gus institutions were scattered, while the
genuine we're tested md firmly established,
and whore does the life insurance institution
stand todayl What amount OF comfort, of
education, OF moral and spiritual advantage
is represented in the simple statistic that In
this country the life insurance companies in
one year paid 81 900, 600 to the families of the
I;hereft; and i'll five years they paid $500 ,0O0,-
900 to the families of the bereit; and are
promising 10 pay-and hold themselves in
TIfeHdintss 10 puy-S2, 600, 100000 TO the fami-
lies Of the bereftl
They have actually paid out more in divi-
dends and death cuims than they have ever
received in premiums. l know OF what l
speak. The life insurance companies OF this
country paid more than $1,000, 900 Of taxes to
the government i'll five years. So, instead of
these companies being indebted to the land.
! the land is indebted TO them To cry out
against life insurance because here and there
one company hos behaved badly is rs absurd
as it would be for man to burn down GOO
acres of harvest field in order to kill tile moles
and potato bugs-as preposterouS as mall
who should blow up crowded steamer In
mid-Atantic for the purpose OF destroying
tho barnacles on the bottom OF the hulk.
But what does the Bible say III regard TO
this subject, II the Bible favors the institu-
ton, will favor It; il the Bible denounces it,
will denounco it. III addition to the fore
cast of Joseph in the text, I coll your atten-
ton to Pnuls comparison. Here is one man
who through neglect, fails to support his
family while he lives, or after he dies. Here
is auother mnu, who nbhors the Scriptures
and rejects God. Which Of those men is tho
worsc3 Well, you sny the latter. Paul says
tho former Paulsays that man who neg
lects to care for his household is moro obnoI-
lOuS tiiall u Hull MO lcJeSIS luS AoSi 'PbuiS'
"IIe that provideth not for bis own, and eS-
tccially those of his own household, is worse
than all infideln Life insurance companies
help most of us to provide for our families
after we are gone, but, il We have the money
to pay the premiums and do not pay them,
we have no right to expect mercy at the hand
of God in the judgment We arc worse
than Tom Paine worse than Voltaire,
and worse than Shaftcsbury. The Bible de-
clares tive are worse than all infldel.
After tho certificate of death has been made
out, and thirty or sixty days have'passed, and
the officer of the life insurance company
comes into the bcreft household and pays
down the bard cash Oh oil insurance policy,
that officer OF the company Is performing a
positively religious rite, according to tho
Apostle James, who says: "True religion
and indebted before God and the Father Is
this: To visit the fatherless and the widow
in their affection" and so on. The religion
OF Christ proposes TO take care OF the tenn
poral wants of the people rs well as the spirit
nal. When Hezekiah was dying the inJunc
ton came to him: "Set thy house In
order, for thou shalt die and not live"
That injunction i'll our day would
mean: "Alake your will; settle up your
accounts; ma g things plain; don't de.
scofvo your heirs with rolls Of worthless
mining. stock; don't deceive them with
deeds for western lands that will never
yield any crop but chlls and fever, don't
leave for them notes that have been
outlawed, and second mortgages on property
that will not pay the tirst.o "Set thy house
in or,lcr.n That is, fix up things, so your
going out of the world may make as little
conservation as possible. See the lean cattle
devouring the fat cattle, and in the time Of
plenty prepare for the time Of want Inc
difficulty is, when men think OF their deatn,
they are afraid to think of it only in connec.
ton with their spiritual welfare, and not OF